Serving in the Church

Source

Auxiliaries to the Priesthood

Under priesthood direction, auxiliary organizations assist in strengthening members. Auxiliary organizations exist at the General, Stake, and Ward Levels of the church. Auxiliary organizations include:

·         Relief Society (Women 18+)

o    " The Relief Society is the oldest and largest women's organization in the world" (Mormon.org). "Relief Society prepares women for the blessings of eternal life by helping them increase their faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and help those in need. Relief Society accomplishes these purposes through Sunday gospel instruction, other Relief Society meetings, visiting teaching, and welfare and compassionate service" (Lds.org).

·         Young Women (age 12-18)

o    Young Women Theme: " We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him. We will ‘stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places’ (Mosiah 18:9) as we strive to live the Young Women values, which are: Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works, Integrity, and Virtue. We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values, we will be prepared to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation” (Lds.org).

·         Young Men (age 12-18)

o    Purpose: "Help each young man to:

1. Become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ and live by its teachings.

2. Serve faithfully in priesthood callings and fulfill the responsibilities of priesthood offices.

3. Give meaningful service.

4. Prepare and live worthily to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood and temple ordinances.

5. Prepare to serve an honorable full-time mission.

6. Obtain as much education as possible.

7. Prepare to become a worthy husband and father.

8. Give proper respect to women, girls, and children" (Lds.org).

·         Primary (children age 3-11)

o    "The purposes of Primary are to help children:

1. Feel Heavenly Father’s love for them.

2. Learn and understand the gospel of Jesus Christ.

3. Feel and recognize the influence of the Holy Ghost.

4. Prepare to make and keep sacred covenants" (Lds.org)

·         Sunday School (all members age 12+)

Q How have you seen the auxiliaries fulfill their purposes?

Q What role do you have as an individual in helping priesthood quorums and auxiliaries be successful in the Ward?

Conditional Blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ: Forgiveness, salvation, exaltation, eternal families, hope, overcome weaknesses, godly character/divine attributes, self control, guidance, comfort, joy, peace, strength, healing, etc. To receive the conditional blessings of the atonement, we must live the Gospel of Jesus Christ:           ·         Faith- belief in, trust in, and commitment to obey Christ           ·         Repent- submit will to Christ and change behavior to follow Him; seek forgiveness and a change of heart           ·         Covenants- make/keep promises by priesthood authority to follow the example of Jesus Christ, such as baptism.           ·         Holy Ghost- receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, invite and follow His guidance           ·         Endure to the end- consistently grow our faith, repent, keep our covenants, and receive the Holy Ghost

Q How does service help us to live the gospel and receive the blessings of the atonement of Jesus Christ? What blessings have you received?

1. "And none were received unto baptism save they took upon them the name of Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end " (Moroni 6:3).

2. "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17).

Church Callings

3. "Soon after baptism new members receive from priesthood leaders the blessing of a responsibility to help in the Church. This is referred to as a calling. All of the work in the Church is voluntary. No one is paid for such service. When we accept callings, we are sustained publicly in a Church meeting so that other members can acknowledge our calling and provide support. We are also set apart by a priesthood leader and given special blessings to help us fulfill our callings. The Church needs the talents and abilities of every member to fill a wide variety of callings. All callings are important and help build God’s kingdom. We are to accept such callings and work diligently to learn and fulfill our duties. As we do so, we grow in faith, develop new talents and a greater ability to serve, and receive numerous other blessings" (Preach My Gospel).

Q What are some key lessons you have learned about the importance of performing our callings?

·         Callings give us an opportunity to build the kingdom of God and to make a difference in the lives of others.

·         No calling is more important than another; we just move around and become more polished with each calling.

·         All positions are volunteer. No one is a professional; we are all ordinary, everyday members trying to keep our covenants to serve others and build up God's kingdom. The Ward is as strong as you make it. The more you invest in strengthening the Ward the more it will lift and strengthen you.

·         We support each other in our callings. We each have a leader that helps us be successful in our callings.

·         We seek to be merciful to others when they don't perform they callings as well as we think they should.

·         The key to being successful in each calling is seeking to serve others in a christlike, loving way.

·         The Holy Ghost will let us know when we need to do more or when we've done too much.

Q Why is it important to try to fulfill our callings in a Christlike way?

For more on callings, see:

Rise to Your Call (Henry B. Eyring)

The Weak and Simple of the Church (Boyd K. Packer)

Lift Where You Stand (Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

O be wise (M. Russell Ballard)

Home and Visiting Teaching

·         Home Teaching = assignments from the Elder's Quorum President or High Priest's Group Leader given to Priesthood holders to minister to individuals and families in the Ward.

·         Visiting Teaching = assignments from the Relief Society President given to Sisters to minister to women in the Ward.

To minister means to seek to help and strengthen someone the way the Savior would if He was in your shoes.

 The purposes of Home and Visiting Teaching are similar:

·         Strengthen individuals and families

o    Remind them of and demonstrate God's love for them.

o    Help each individual make and keep covenants with God, including encouraging church attendance.

o    Support parents in their responsibilities, including encouraging them to hold family prayer, family scripture study, and family home evening.

·         Teach the gospel to each individual

·         Nurture friendships

·         Make the Bishop of Relief Society President aware of any temporal concerns of the family, such as unemployment or a lack of food.

Home and Visiting Teachers are to visit their assigned members at least monthly and share a gospel message with them that meets their needs. In deciding what message to share, I prayerfully ponder these questions:

"What struggles or needs does this family have?" and

"What gospel principle if better understood, would help alleviate those struggles or meet those needs?"

Home Teachers can also share the First Presidency message from the Ensign, and Visiting Teachers the Visiting Teaching message from the Ensign.

Q Why should we adjust our message to meet the needs of those we are teaching? Suggestions for how to do this?

Activity: Share a brief message to a partner based on the following quote from this First Presidency message:

"The Apostle Paul taught about God’s harvest: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:7–9).

"What we sow [plant], we reap [harvest].... Just as earthly seeds require effort and patience, so do many of the blessings of heaven. We cannot put our religion on a shelf and expect to harvest spiritual blessings. But if we plant and nurture gospel standards in the daily life of our family, there is a high probability that our children will grow up to produce spiritual fruit of great value to them and to future generations" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Ensign, August 2014).

How would you adjust your message if the person you were teaching:

·         Is experiencing a difficult trial and is feeling discouraged

·         Is struggling with their testimony

·         Isn't serving in the church

Q Why does God want us to go home and visiting teaching?

“Brothers and sisters, I believe that if we could truly understand the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ…. there would never be anyone with whom we would not be concerned…. We would strive to emulate the Savior and would never be unkind, indifferent, disrespectful, or insensitive to others. We would help them to know of the love Christ has for them” (M. Russell Ballard, April 2004 General Conference).

4. "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

"For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee?  or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in?  or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me" (Matthew 25: 31-40).

5. “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom” (Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign December 1974).

Q What miracles and blessings have you seen come to individuals and families as a result of Home and Visiting Teaching?

Q What has helped you to overcome concerns with serving in the church, such as going Home or Visiting Teaching?

“Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race" (Joseph Smith, History of the Church, 4:227).

6. "Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ" (Moroni 7:47-48).

Reactivation

Occasionally, someone you serve is not regularly attending church. These individuals are not receiving all of the blessings of the gospel because church attendance is the foundation of faith, repentance, keeping covenants, and receiving the Holy Ghost (again, these are the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which allow us access to the blessings of the atonement).

From my experience, reminding these individuals about positive experiences they have had with the church and challenging them to read the Book of Mormon daily are important first steps to take when seeking to help someone increase their church activity.

For a sample lesson plan for a reactivation visit, see http://ldsgospellessons.blogspot.com/2014/03/reactivation-visit-sample-lesson-plan.html

For more on reactivation, see:

And Nothing Shall Offend Them (David A. Bednar)

To the Rescue (Thomas S. Monson)

Strengthen Thy Brethren (Mervyn B. Arnold) 

Key talks about serving in the church can be found at

http://ldsgospellessons.blogspot.com/search/label/Service%20%28T%29

Key talks about strengthening others in the gospel can be found at

http://ldsgospellessons.blogspot.com/search/label/Sharing%20the%20Gospel%20%28T%29

Work and Personal Responsibility

Work is a Commandment and an Eternal Principle

1. "Our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have shown us by Their examples and teachings that work is important in heaven and on earth.... Jesus said, “My Father worketh hitherto, and I work” (John 5:17)".... The Lord said to the people of Israel, “Six days shalt thou labour” (Exodus 20:9)....

"God revealed to Adam, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). In addition to being a temporal law, this was a law for the salvation of Adam’s soul. There is no real division between spiritual, mental, and physical work. Work is essential to each of us for growth, character development, and many satisfactions that the idle never know....

""Men are, that they might have joy” (2 Nephi 2:25). Work is a key to full joy in the plan of God. If we are righteous, we will return to live with our Heavenly Father, and we will have work to do. As we become like Him, our work will become like His work. His work is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39)" (Gospel Principles, Work and Personal Responsibility).

Q Why does God command us to work? Why is work a spiritual necessity?

2. "You remember the story [of the parable of the talents]. A man needed to go away, so he entrusted his servants with his goods. One received five talents, another two, and the last received one. Upon his return, he asked for an accounting. The servant who received five and returned ten, as well as the one who took two and returned four, were declared good and faithful servants. But what caught my attention was the servant who received one, took care of it, and returned it safely back to his lord.

"I was surprised by the response of the master: “Thou wicked and slothful servant, … take therefore the talent from him, … and cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness”! (See Matthew 25:14–30.). This seemed to be a harsh reaction to one who seemed to be trying to take care of what he was given. But the Spirit taught me this truth—the Lord expects a difference!" (Stanley G. Ellis, October 2006 General Conference).

3. "The Lord shall come to recompense unto every man according to his work, and measure to every man according to the measure which he has measured to his fellow man" (D&C 1:5).

Q What blessings come from work?

4. "The Lord has commanded us not to be idle. Idleness can lead to inappropriate behavior, damaged relationships, and sin. One form of idleness is spending excessive amounts of time in activities that keep you from productive work, such as using the Internet, playing video games, and watching television.

"Do not waste your time and money in gambling. Gambling is wrong and should not be used as a form of entertainment. It is addictive and can lead to lost opportunities, ruined lives, and broken families. It is false to believe that you can get something for nothing.

"One of the blessings of work is developing self-reliance. When you are self-reliant, you use the blessings and abilities God has given you to care for yourself and your family and to find solutions for your own problems. Self-reliance does not mean that you must be able to do all things on your own. To be truly self-reliant, you must learn how to work with others and turn to the Lord for His help and strength" (For the Strength of Youth, Work and Self Reliance).

5. " True Latter-day Saints will not voluntarily shift from themselves the burden of their own support. So long as they are able, they will supply themselves and their families with the necessities of life. As far as they are able, all Church members should accept the responsibility to care for their relatives who are unable to provide for themselves"  (Gospel Principles, Work and Personal Responsibility).

Q How does idleness affect an individual? a family? a community?

Q How can someone with physical limitations still live the eternal principle of work?

Q How does our attitude affect our work?

Q How can we improve our attitude about work?

Q How can we work to build up the church?

Family Responsibility

6. "Parents work together to provide for the physical, spiritual, and emotional well-being of their family. They should never expect anyone to take care of this responsibility for them. The Apostle Paul wrote, “If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith” (1 Timothy 5:8). Couples should seek inspiration from the Lord and follow the counsel of the prophets when establishing individual responsibilities. Creating a home where principles of the gospel are taught daily and where love and order abound is as important as providing the basic necessities of food and clothing" (Gospel Principles, Work and Personal Responsibility).

7. “The gospel of work is part of ‘the fulness of the gospel.’ Though joyful, missionary work is work. Though joyful, temple work is work. Alas, a few of our underwhelmed youth work all right, but mostly at trying to please themselves.… Be careful … when you inordinately desire things to be better for your children than they were for you. Do not, however unintentionally, make things worse by removing the requirement for reasonable work as part of their experience, thereby insulating your children from the very things that helped make you what you are!” (Neal A. Maxwell, April 1998 General Conference).

Q What are some dangers of parents allowing their children to avoid the responsibility to work?

Q What are some things parents can do to teach their children how to work?

Suggestions from the Marriage and Family Relations Instructor's Manual:

·         Set an example for children by cheerfully helping with household chores.

·         Give children responsibilities that match their abilities.

·         Take time to teach children how to succeed in their responsibilities.

·         Express appreciation for children’s help.

8. “While we were growing up in a small community, my father saw the need for my brother and me to learn the principle of work. As a result, he put us to work on a small farm on the edge of town where he had been raised. He ran the local newspaper, so he could not spend much time with us except early in the morning and in the evening. That was quite a responsibility for two young teenagers, and sometimes we made mistakes.

“Our small farm was surrounded by other farms, and one of the farmers went in to see my father one day to tell him the things he thought we were doing wrong. My father listened to him carefully and then said, ‘Jim, you don’t understand. You see, I’m raising boys and not cows.’ After my father’s death, Jim told us his story. How grateful I was for a father who decided to raise boys, and not cows. In spite of the mistakes, we learned how to work on that little farm, and I guess, although they didn’t say it in so many words, we always knew we were more important to Mother and Father than the cows or, for that matter, anything else” (Loren C. Dunn, October 1974 General Conference).

Q What are some things parents can do to teach their children how to build up the church?

Q What are some qualities of a person who has a good work ethic? How can we help our children to develop these qualities?

Q How can parents help their children balance work and rest?

9. "Water cannot be drawn from an empty well, and if you are not setting aside a little time for what replenishes you, you will have less and less to give to others" (M. Russell Ballard, April 2008 General Conference).

Education

10."Education is an important part of Heavenly Father’s plan to help you become more like Him. He wants you to educate your mind and to develop your skills and talents, your power to act well in your responsibilities, and your capacity to appreciate life. The education you gain will be valuable to you during mortality and in the life to come. Education will prepare you for greater service in the world and in the Church. It will help you better provide for yourself, your family, and those in need. It will also help you be a wise counselor and companion to your future spouse and an informed and effective teacher of your future children.

"Education is an investment that brings great rewards and will open the doors of opportunity that may otherwise be closed to you. Plan now to obtain an education. Be willing to work diligently and make sacrifices if necessary.... Maintain an enthusiasm for learning throughout your life. Find joy in continuing to learn and in expanding your interests. Choose to actively participate in the learning opportunities available to you.

"Your education should include spiritual learning. Study the scriptures and the words of the latter-day prophets.... Continue throughout your life to learn about Heavenly Father’s plan. This spiritual learning will help you find answers to the challenges of life and will invite the companionship of the Holy Ghost" (For the Strength of Youth, Education).

Conclusion

"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" (Colossians 3:23).

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8)

"Remember that God has a great work for you to do. He will bless you in your efforts to accomplish that work" (For the Strength of Youth, Work and Personal Responsibility).

Key talks about Strengthening Youth can be found at

http://ldsgospellessons.blogspot.com/search/label/Strengthen%20Youth%20%28T%29

Key talks about Strengthening Families can be found at

http://ldsgospellessons.blogspot.com/search/label/Strengthen%20Families%20%28T%29

Key talks about Service can be found at

http://ldsgospellessons.blogspot.com/search/label/Service%20%28T%29

Key talks about Sacrifice can be found at

http://ldsgospellessons.blogspot.com/search/label/Sacrifice%20%28T%29

Key talks about Grace can be found at

http://ldsgospellessons.blogspot.com/search/label/Grace%20%28T%29

Sharing the Gospel

Source

Introduction

1. Jesus taught: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:15).

2. "Every member a missionary" (David O. McKay, April 1959 General Conference).

Q Why has the Lord asked us to share the gospel?

Q What blessings have you seen come to others when they accept the gospel?

Q What blessings come to us as we share the gospel?

3. "For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties, and denominations... who are only kept from the truth because they know not where to find it" (D&C 123:12).

4. "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. And he hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance. And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth! Wherefore, you are called to cry repentance unto this people. And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!" (D&C 18:10-16).

5. "Those who work for the salvation of others will have their sins forgiven and will bring salvation to their own souls (see D&C 4:4, 31:5, 84:61)" (Gospel Principles, Missionary Work).

Our Message

6. "Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you" (1 Peter 3:15).

·         God: God is our loving Heavenly Father. He has a plan for us to return to live with Him and receive every blessing He has, including an eternal family.

·         Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ is our Savior and performed the Atonement for us.

·         Gospel of Jesus Christ: Living the Gospel of Jesus Christ allows us to receive all of the blessings of Christ's Atonement.

·         Restoration: The Gospel, church, and authority of Jesus Christ were restored by the Lord through Joseph Smith after being corrupted or lost after the deaths of Christ's original apostles.

·         Prophets: The Lord guides us today through apostles and prophets.

·         Book of Mormon: The Book of Mormon is evidence of the restoration of the gospel and of living prophets. We can know by the power of the Holy Ghost that this book is true.

Alternately, Elder Ballard suggested we can simplify our message in four categories (October 2007 General Conference):

·         Faith - what we believe

·         Facts - church history and statistics

·         Fruits - blessings

·         Families - how the gospel blesses families now and eternally

7. "Preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth. He that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way? If it be some other way it is not of God" (D&C 50:14, 19-20).

Q What can we do to invite the Spirit as we share the gospel with others?

·         Have the Holy Ghost in our lives. Pray for the Spirit and live the gospel.

·         Bear testimony how we know these things are true

·         Share blessings we have received and they can receive

·         Give invitations and follow up

Q How do you know that our message is true?

Q What blessings have you received from it?

Q What invitations can we give to others to help them know the truth for themselves and be blessed by it?

(visit mormon.org, serve with us, come to church activity, come to church, pray with them, read the Book of Mormon, share church movies and Mormon messages, share a general conference talk, come to family home evening, invite to meet with the missionaries, etc.)

Q How can we use the internet to share the gospel?

Q What other tools has the Lord given to help us share the gospel?

(Preach My Gospel manual, pass along cards, missionary pamphlets, For the Strength of Youth pamphlet, True to the Faith reference book, full time missionaries, etc.)

Creating Gospel Sharing Homes

8. "The Savior Himself showed us the way when He invited His disciples to “come and see … where he dwelt, and [they] abode with him that day” (John 1:39).... Similarly, our homes can be gospel-sharing homes as people we know and love come into our homes and experience the gospel firsthand in both word and action. We can share the gospel without holding a formal discussion. Our families can be our lesson, and the spirit that emanates from our homes can be our message....

"A gospel-sharing home is one in which neighborhood children love to play, making it natural to invite them and their family to attend church, a family home evening, or some other activity.... Gospel-sharing homes are very ordinary. They may not always be spotlessly clean nor the children perfectly behaved. But they are a place in which family members clearly love each other, and the Spirit of the Lord is felt by those who visit" (M. Russell Ballard, April 2006 General Conference).

Q How can "Our families can be our lesson, and the spirit that emanates from our homes can be our message"?

9. "[New] friends will come... into our lives, and if we are open about our membership in the Church from the very beginning, we can easily bring gospel discussions into the relationship with very little risk of being misunderstood. Friends and acquaintances will accept that this is part of who we are, and they will feel free to ask questions....

"A sister in France was asked about the secret of her success. She said, “I simply share my joy. I treat everyone as if they were already a member of the Church. If I’m standing by someone in line and strike up a conversation, I share with them how much I enjoyed my Church meetings on Sunday. When co-workers ask, ‘What did you do this weekend?’ I do not skip from Saturday night to Monday morning. I share with them that I went to church, what was said, and my experiences with the Saints. I talk about how I live, think, and feel.” " (M. Russell Ballard, April 2006 General Conference).

Q Why is it important to let others know that we are members of the church and that the gospel is a part of who we are?

Q How can we get better at doing this?

10. "In gospel-sharing homes we pray for guidance for ourselves, and we pray for the physical and spiritual well-being of others. We pray for the people the missionaries are teaching, for our acquaintances, and for those not of our faith.... In a gospel-sharing home we do not just pray for the health, safety, and success of our missionaries throughout the world. We also pray for our own missionary experiences and opportunities and to be prepared to act on those impressions as they come our way. And I promise you, they will come....

"One way to show your faith in the Lord and His promises is to prayerfully set a date to have someone prepared to meet with the missionaries. I have received hundreds of letters from members who have exercised their faith in this simple way. Even though families had no one in mind with whom they could share the gospel, they set a date, prayed, and then talked to many more people. The Lord is the Good Shepherd, and He knows His sheep who have been prepared to hear His voice. He will guide us as we seek His divine help in sharing His gospel" (M. Russell Ballard, April 2006 General Conference).

Q What experiences have you had as a result of praying for missionary experiences?

11. "In a gospel-sharing home, our personal missionary effort is a topic of family councils and discussions.... Church literature or DVDs can introduce new friends to the Church. Invitations to hear a family member speak in sacrament meeting or to attend the baptismal service of a family member or to tour a meetinghouse have also been appreciated by those who are not members. From every indicator we have, there is nothing more effective that any of us can do for our friends than to say “come and see” by joining with us in sacrament meeting. Far too many do not know they are welcome to worship with us.....

"A gospel-sharing home is not defined by whether or not people join the Church as a result of our contact with them. Our opportunity and responsibility are to care, to share, to testify, to invite, and then to allow individuals to decide for themselves. We are blessed when we have invited them to consider the Restoration, regardless of the outcome. At the very least, we have a rewarding relationship with someone from another faith, and we can continue to enjoy their friendship. " (M. Russell Ballard, April 2006 General Conference).

Conclusion

12. "As a member of the Lord’s Church, you can, by the goodness of your life and the strength of your testimony, help prepare your family members, friends, and other acquaintances to meet with the full-time missionaries. The most powerful missionary message you can send is your own example of living a happy Latter-day Saint life" (True to the Faith, Missionary Work).

Missionary Work = Ministering = Helping people as the Savior would if He was in your position

Key talks about Sharing the Gospel can be found at

http://ldsgospellessons.blogspot.com/search/label/Sharing%20the%20Gospel%20%28T%29

Key talks about Missionary Preparation can be found at

http://ldsgospellessons.blogspot.com/search/label/Missionary%20Preparation%20%28T%29

Key talks about the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ can be found at

http://ldsgospellessons.blogspot.com/search/label/Restoration%20of%20the%20Church%20of%20Jesus%20Christ%20%28T%29

Key talks about the Service can be found at

http://ldsgospellessons.blogspot.com/search/label/Service%20%28T%29

Key talks about Strengthening Families can be found at

http://ldsgospellessons.blogspot.com/search/label/Strengthen%20Families%20%28T%29